The Charge

"Let me just say that Rambo is the best combat vet I've ever seen. A
pure fighting machine with only a desire -- to win a war that someone else lost.
And if winning means he has to die, he'll die. No fear, no regrets. And one more
thing -- what you choose to call hell...he calls home." -Col. Trautman,
Rambo: First Blood Part II

Opening Statement

The shirtless image of Rambo firing a machine gun with one arm is one of the
biggest icons of 1980s Hollywood. He was an all-American soldier, the toughest
badass in the world, who could stand up against any number of communists without
fear. That image has often blocked out the truth: First Blood was a
genuinely thoughtful anti-war film, which only afterwards developed into as
bloodthirsty a franchise as has ever existed. This new "ultimate"
edition of the trilogy doesn't help us to delve into that reality, but it offers
a nice way to watch everyone's favorite lone wolf Green Beret in action.

Facts of the Case

A Vietnam veteran named John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone, Rocky) wanders
into a small town called Hope, where he has a run-in with a sadistic sheriff
named Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy, Presumed Innocent). Their encounter
brings back some horrible memories of the war. When Rambo snaps and escapes, it
begins a manhunt that will almost certainly end in tragedy. When the small
sheriff's department realize they are up against a highly trained killer, more
people are called in to deal with the threat, including Rambo's old commanding
officer, Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna, Body Heat).

In Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo is pulled from prison to return
to Vietnam. It seems that some American POWs are still trapped, guarded by the
North Vietnamese and some truly evil Russians. Rambo is only supposed to do
reconnaissance, but when the Americans leave him to die, he decides to just kill
everyone instead.

Rambo III doesn't succeed as well at being politically conscious.
Rambo is sent into Afghanistan when Trautman is captured by the even-more-evil
Russians. Bringing his exploding long-bow arrows, his knife, and the glorious
ideals of democracy, Rambo declares war on the Russian base with the help of a
few "gallant Afghanis." Much carnage ensues.

The Evidence

* First Blood When thinking of the Rambo Trilogy as a whole, it
seems hard to believe that only one man is killed in First Blood. Many
more are wounded and maimed, but this is a much more thoughtful film than either
of its sequels. The question of what to do with veterans has been a serious
problem in the past century, and this is one of the better looks at that
phenomenon that has ever been filmed. Although Rambo's response is more extreme
than most of us see in an average day, it seems perfectly plausible considering
his past and the way he's been treated. In fact, for an action movie, it seems
to avoid the standard structure. We aren't introduced to Rambo through violence,
but rather through his quest to find the rest of his company; his friends from
the war. Although Trautman warns that Rambo could cut his way through hundreds
of police officers, it never happens. The result is a film that remains both
exciting and thought-provoking, even years later.

* Rambo: First Blood Part II In some ways, the second in the
Rambo Trilogy stays true to the first while offering the explosions and deaths
that were becoming more popular as the 1980s wore on. Rambo is given a chance to
make a positive difference where he had failed before, and finds that
bureaucracy is exactly the same in wartime and peace. With the North Vietnamese
and Russians as enemies, he was able to shed a lot more blood without losing the
respect of his patriotic American audience. While the first works better as a
serious anti-war film, this one is a rip-roaring action-adventure, which at the
very least works as a great example of mindless blockbuster entertainment. If
First Blood is the story of Rambo battling his own demons, then
Rambo is his heroic struggle against the evil "other" of the
communists.

* Rambo III The stated goal of Rambo III is to bring the
series full circle; to bring Rambo back to being a great combat soldier. The end
of the second film marks his great disillusionment with and rejection of the
American military system. Here, he once again becomes the ideal American
fighter: virtually indestructible, heroic, self-sufficient, noble, and wily.
He's the contemporary equivalent of the Greek heroes. Unfortunately, the
political situation into which he is placed isn't the right backdrop for this
type of story. The situation in Afghanistan is far too complicated, and the
Russian army seems even more out of place here than in North Vietnam. The
portrayal of the Afghanis as noble warriors is similar to the way that the
"noble savage" was depicted when Europeans arrived in the New World.
Their solution doesn't exist inside their own actions, but rather through the
involvement of a great warrior from America. This whole aspect of the film seems
even more obvious than it did when the film was first released. The joking tone
between Rambo and Trautman towards the end really undermines the feel of the
whole series, and the conclusion is too ridiculous for words. And so, the Rambo
Trilogy never does come full circle, even if that's what they wanted.

Not many people need to know how I feel about these films. What you do want
to know, I'm sure, is what the discs are like. The transfers on all three are
quite strong. The anamorphic widescreen images look excellent considering the
age of the films. At times, all three are a bit washed out and desaturated, but
the detail is great and they have been cleaned up nicely. The DTS tracks from
the previous Special Editions are gone, but the Dolby 5.1 tracks have plenty of
clarity, punch, and activity in the surrounds.

Where the discs really fall apart is in the extras. The real appeal of the
set is supposed to be the "survival mode," an enhanced viewing mode
that interrupts the film with annoying non-interactive distractions. These
consist of Metabrief, which explains a bit about the characters. Clever viewers
will realize that these are just like menu "character bios," except
for the interrupting the movie part. Then, there is Metascope, which gives some
quasi-military sounding jargon about the weapons and vehicles used in the film.
There is also Metasight, which ironically just puts a green translucent target
sign over the film image. And it beeps when a character is on the screen.
Clever. The Metapoint mode shows a tiny overhead map of the area, showing
movement of the characters. Finally, there is the Metamap mode, which builds a
fake satellite image of the surroundings during action scenes. I can't speak for
anyone else, but the last thing that I want in the middle of an exciting action
scene is something this pointless breaking up the suspense. None of the
information is very useful: those interested in the military specs will already
know more than this, and other people won't care. It was a very poor choice to
replace the DTS tracks with this lame survival mode.

Aside from that, there aren't many extras in the set. The first film
features a newly recorded commentary track by Sylvester Stallone, which may be
the highlight of the set. It's easy to forget that he is as intelligent and
coherent as he is, and it's a great track to listen to. If it hadn't been for
his additions to the script and input during filming, First Blood may
have been a long-forgotten B-movie. The commentary track on the second disc,
from director George Cosmatos, is not as strong. He has some amusing anecdotes,
but generally just uses the time to explain the meaning of the film -- something
that most of us won't need to enjoy Rambo. The commentary track on
Rambo III comes from director Peter Macdonald, who was brought in to helm
at the last minute after starting as the second unit director. He is not a
charismatic speaker, but the track offers some insight into why this film turned
out weaker than the others.

In addition to the commentary tracks, there are some deleted scenes on the
first and third films. These are fairly standard fare, but will be worth
checking out for fans of the series. Of course, there were a lot more extras on
the former special editions, including a full fourth disc of features that don't
appear here. Perhaps this represents some confusion on the part of the studio as
to exactly what "Ultimate Edition" means. Does this mean that it is
meant to be the best release of this trilogy on DVD, or that it will be the last
version of the films in our beloved format? Either way, this doesn't seem to be
the preferred release of the trilogy on any level. The packaging isn't even as
cool.

Closing Statement

The Rambo Trilogy is still great action entertainment. That said, the
decision to call this disappointing delivery the "ultimate" DVD
edition is more than a little deceiving. If you still don't have a copy of the
trilogy on DVD, this is not the worst way to go. The transfers are solid and the
commentary tracks have some value. That said, the previous edition has been
discontinued, but it is still possible to find, and it's a much better value
overall. If you do own the special editions, don't even consider grabbing this
as a double dip.

The Verdict

I'm not stupid enough to try to detain the mighty John Rambo. I wouldn't want
to be in the shoes of Lions Gate when he sees their latest money grab using his
franchise, though. It's the kind of thing he would be against.